Hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin and US ambassador Steve Witkoff met in Moscow, Trump declared that Russia and Ukraine “are very close to a deal.” Despite Ukraine’s absence, the Kremlin characterised the meetings as “constructive” and Trump claimed it had been a “good day” of talks.
Trump had earlier pushed Russia and Ukraine to meet “at very high levels” and “to finish it [the deal] off,” saying on social media that “most of the major points are agreed to.” In a video message released late Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that “real pressure on Russia is needed” to secure an unconditional ceasefire.
Earlier in the day, Zelensky told the BBC that if a “full and unconditional ceasefire” was reached, then Kyiv and Moscow could talk about territorial problems. According to reports, a US peace proposal would require Ukraine to cede significant areas of land that Russia had seized.
Speaking to the media upon his arrival in Rome for Pope Francis’ burial on Saturday, Trump stated that he would back Russia’s retention of the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow unlawfully acquired in 2014. Zelensky disagrees with this notion. Moscow now controls about 20% of Ukrainian land after launching a full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.
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